


An Immortal Surprise

by HolyKingWasteLand



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Immortal Merlin (Merlin), Immortality, Light Angst, M/M, Not Beta Read, Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Soon those will become tags, Temporary Character Death, We Die Like Men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-23
Updated: 2019-02-23
Packaged: 2019-10-18 02:17:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17572418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolyKingWasteLand/pseuds/HolyKingWasteLand
Summary: Arthur is almost stabbed by a bandit but Merlin stands in the way. Cue An Immortal Surprise.





	An Immortal Surprise

Merlin and Arthur sat around the campfire. They were out on a hunt and then made up camp for the night. Merlin served up the rabbit stew into their separate wooden bowls and handed one to Arthur.

They sat back and ate in silence for a while before Merlin broke it.

"My goal in life is to-" He got cut off by the King.

"You've failed. Miserably." Arthur didn't even smirk, but Merlin could tell he was joking around. Merlin shoved him with his shoulder and the King laughed, a loud and beautiful sound (but you didn't hear that from Merlin).

"I didn't even finish my sentence!"

 

* * *

 

Then things went horribly wrong.

The next day they were just packing up camp, getting ready to go back home when the bandits attacked.

Arthur grabbed Merlin and pulled him away from the oncoming attackers. They fought with all their might, but they were outnumbered; two to ten- and Merlin didn't even have a  _sword._  

Things were looking grim, and Arthur would've gotten stabbed if it weren't for Merlin throwing himself in front like a shield.

One to seven.

Arthur screamed out in shock and the bandits also seemed surprised by this, but they kept coming. What none of them anticipated was... Merlin.

The Warlock's eyes glowed like the sun reflecting through melted gold. Suddenly all the bandits collapsed to the ground, Arthur didn't check to see if they were breathing. (They weren't)

"Merlin-" Arthur cradled Merlin in his arms, the servant was bleeding out by the second. 

"My... goal in life was to-" Merlin choked on the blood in his throat and let it dribble down his chin- "It was to.. to protect you."

Tears shone and poured shamelessly over Arthur's cheeks.  _No man is worth your tears,_ his father's voice echoed in his head.  _Screw that. Merlin was worth it. Merlin was worth a thousand men-_

"I think I... I did pretty... well......" His breathing was choppy and slowing down rapidly as Arthur begged him to stay.

"You did, Merlin. You saved my life-" Arthur cut himself off with a sob, he clutched Merlin tighter. "You  _idiot_ _Mer_ lin- y-you can't leave me, not after all this time. I forbid it-"

Merlin's eyes glazed over and he exhaled softly, using his last breath to mutter a weak: "sorry, sire..."

Arthur's eyes widened and he shook Merlin in his arms weakly. "No- no Merlin,  _please, no_.." He raised a shaky hand to Merlin's face and painted his cheek red as he cradled it. His tears dropped onto Merlin's face and salty water mixed with blood, dying the tears on his face red. Arthur's breath stuttered in his chest and he began sobbing.

He normally wouldn't let himself cry like this, but they're- ... _he's_ safe. And now very, very alone.

 

* * *

 

A little while later, Arthur checked the bandit's for any sign of life, but when he found none, he made a makeshift pyre and piled them on top before hesitating. He looked over at his friend with sad sad eyes. He couldn't bring himself to put Merlin on there with those bandits. He's angry with himself that it was even a fleeting thought. Merlin was going to be brought  _home_  and he was going to have a proper funeral surrounded by his  _friends_  and  _family_.

He paused. Despite these men being bandits, they also had family's who were worried about them. Did he really have a right to do any of this?

No, he decided. It wasn't his choice to make. 

Arthur rubbed away the soreness of his eyes. He was a King, he couldn't be seen crying over a... a... a trusted friend? Someone who may have had magic, but used it to protect them in his last few minutes? No. He had a damned  _right_ to cry. But he couldn't do it out here anymore, he was too vulnerable. A King; alone, sad and exhausted; it sounded very much like something bad just waiting to happen.

He turned away from the pile of dead men, seeming unharmed despite their lack of breath and colour in their skin, and walked over to Merlin's cor- _body_.

He lugged the rag-doll of a man up into his arms and took him over to his horse, gently laying his body over the front of it's saddle. He grimaced at the way Merlin just lay limp over the horse. It wasn't right.

Arthur put their bags on the back and saddle of Merlin's own horse- one that he wouldn't need anymore, his brain thinks unhelpfully- and then took it's reins before climbing up onto his own. He thought Merlin looked too much like just another casualty, so lifeless and cold, so he gently lifted Merlin until the man was stationed in front of him on the saddle, slumping against Arthur in a way that reminds him the man is no longer alive.

While holding the reins to two horses, and a lifeless man in his arms, he decided to take it slow back to Camelot. He didn't really have any place to be, and they weren't expecting them back for another few days. He sighed heavily, and continued on like that for a few hours.

 

* * *

 

It was during the second hour that Arthur felt the man in front of him shift.  _Just the horse making him move,_ he thought, although his heart began racing. In shock? Fear? Hope? He didn't know.

 

It was during the third hour that Arthur heard a breathy, near silent groan, and he froze but the horses kept trotting.  _Just the wind_ , he told himself.

 

It was during the fourth hour that Arthur heard his name. He pulled the horses to a stop and looked around through the trees. The wind had settled down, but maybe he was just hearing things- "Arth'r..." He heard it again and he gasped in shock, going rigged against the man.

"M-Merlin?"

He didn't hear anything else, and he wrote it off as sound playing tricks on him.

 

It was during the fifth hour, that something drastic happened.

Merlin came back from the dead. One hundred percent, Arthur would scream it out loud if he thought no one would hear-  _Merlin was back from the dead._

The servant moved his head to the side and opened his eyes, coming face to face with Arthur's neck. He mumbled out a soft, "Arthur?" and seemingly got a response when Arthur looked down at him with large, frightened but hopeful, eyes. "W...wuh happen'd..." The Warlock asked, sagging tiredly into the King behind him.

Arthur stuttered out a reply, something along the lines of: "w-bu-you're-dead?-not dead- _how-_ " Completely intelligible, he knows.

Merlin's mouth made an 'o' shape and he nodded weakly, shutting his eyes against the blinding light. "Yeah.. not dead.. prat." He added, with a little bit of playfulness at the end of his choppy sentence. Arthur let out a shocked and choked laugh, and then he wrapped his free arm around Merlin's chest and hugged him tightly, the stinging of tears coming to his eyes once more.

"You... You're alive," Arthur breathed, trying to reassure himself that he's awake and not just in some sort of depressed-induced dream.

"I am," Merlin answered back, his throat having obviously gone dry when he mutters the word 'water' into Arthur's ear. And by the gods, Arthur had never found a voice so sweet in his whole life. Arthur stopped the horses and reached over to grab his water-skin. He held it up for Merlin to take slow sips from, until the man grunted for him to stop. He easily capped it again and shoved it back into his pack.

The Warlock tried to speak again, but Arthur just hushed him. "Just take it easy. You just came back from the dead, I found out you're a sorcerer, and there's all the time in the world to answer those questions  _later._ " Arthur emphasised the word when Merlin tried to interrupt him.

Merlin finally gave in and leaned back into Arthur's embrace, allowing sleep to take him as the King tried to keep himself from both grinning too hard, and crying so hard that they'd have to stop again.

 

* * *

 

Another two hours and they were finally home. Arthur pulls the horse to a stop and the knights come forth to try and take Merlin from him, but Arthur clutches the servant tighter. "Don't." He growls, trying to pull Merlin as close to himself as possible.

"Sire, you're exhausted, and Merlin's injured, let us take him." Leon tries to pull Merlin away again but Arthur literally growls in anger.

" _Don't touch him._ " 

The knights tense and Leon lets go, stepping backwards with his hands raised. "Okay sire." He placates, swallowing tensely and sends the other knights a look.

Arthur keeps his bloodshot eyes trained on the knights for a long few moments, before he focuses back on Merlin with concerned eyes. "Merlin, we're back. We're home," He murmurs into Merlin's ear.

The servant shifts and his eyes open blearily. "Arthur?" Merlin asks softly, groaning as he shifts on the saddle.

"It's okay Merlin, I'm going to get you to Gaius and you're going to be fine." He promises, sliding carefully off of the horse with a drowsy Merlin in his arms.

Merlin hums and shuts his eyes, leaning into Arthur's hold. "Okay Arthur," He says, smiling slightly, and loops his arms around his king's shoulders.

The knights part like the red sea, none of them brave enough to attempt to take the servant from his master, despite Arthur's bloodshot eyes and shaking legs; and Merlin's bloodstained clothes and pale complexion.

Arthur carries Merlin through the castle and to the Physician's Chambers. He pushes the door open with his foot and Gaius looks over at them in shock. "Sire! Merlin!" Gaius gasps and starts rushing around, getting a bed ready for his ward. "Lay him down- _gently_." The man stresses. Arthur lays Merlin down carefully, and the servant's eyes flicker open, his hands shooting out to grab onto Arthur's bloodied shirt.

His eyes show confusion and he looks around, disoriented. "Arthur what-" He sees Gaius and a grin lights up his face. "Gaius!" He sits up quickly and Arthur steadies him, although he doesn't really need it. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

"You died." Arthur says sharply, his eyes narrowed at his servant.

"I got better," Merlin justifies, rolling his eyes.

Gaius looks between the two of them in shock. "He-" Gaius looks from Merlin to the King. "You  _know?"_ He asks, frightened, confused, and outraged all at once.

Merlin blinks and takes in a deep breath, leaning back slightly. "Oh yeah-"

Arthur looks sheepish. "Yes I do-" They look at each other and laugh, completely relaxed with one-another. Gaius exhales and smile softly, shaking his head as he steps forward to check Merlin for injuries.

"Well, pray tell how this happened." Gaius says, looking at them expectantly.

The two share a look and Merlin takes the lead. " _Well,_ it all happened because _Arthur_ wanted to go hunting-"

**Author's Note:**

> [My Tumblr!](https://holykingwasteland.tumblr.com/)


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